Forging Bonds in Another World
by DingusKringus
Summary: During one of their routine confrontations, Alfonse and Veronica are transported to a distant world. In hopes that they may find peace upon their return, Alfonse seizes the opportunity to patch up his spotty relationship with the princess. However, when dealing with Veronica, nothing is ever that easy. (Takes place before/during the Dragalia Lost x FEH crossover)


A month had passed since the brutal war between Nifl and Múspell, which had claimed countless lives, finally came to an end. In its aftermath, the once beautiful land of Nifl lies in ruins. Villages lay burned to the ground; it's inhabitants wander the lands no longer having a place to call home.

The Order of Heroes did their best to offer aid in rebuilding the nation. Many heroes took a temporary leave, lending their strength to Nifl in their time of need. Replanting fields, protecting the people from brigands; there was always a job that needed done.

Alfonse, the prince of the Askran Kingdom, was given strict orders by the king to remain in Askr during this time. It pained him to sit by while the others worked, yet he dared not object to the king's orders. His father, even in his old age, had an intimidating aura that could rival Surtr himself.

Despite their spotty relationship, Alfonse had nothing but respect for his father. He was everything the prince wished he could be: intelligent, decisive, and strong. Unfortunately, the king wouldn't live forever, and Alfonse knew that he would one day need to fill his father's shoes. He came to the conclusion that, to lessen the gap between him and his father, he would need to adopt a strict training program.

When he wasn't working on his swordsmanship at the training grounds, he spent his time reading. The royal library was almost a second home to the young man. Even as a child, he would spend entire days held up within the study, something Sharena often teased him for.

Book in hand, Alfonse sits solitarily at one of the libraries tables. Just as he was getting immersed in its pages, the library doors swing open, causing the prince to jump in his seat.

"Brother, brother!" a shrill voice calls out to him. He needn't lift his eyes from the pages to know it belonged to his sister, Sharena.

Alfonse closed his book shut and lets out an exasperated sigh. "Sharena, you nearly startled me to death!" he scolds the girl, clearly upset by the sudden disturbance.

His blue eyes shift from the book to his sister and, as they do, he notices she is sweating and breathing quite heavily. The disconcerting sight convinces him that this isn't another one of her harmless pranks. "Did you run here?!" he asks, now concerned over what could make his typically carefree sister so agitated.

"Alfonse… invasion… Embla…" Sharena gets out between gasps for air. She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. Feeling a bit more relaxed, she continues, "Embla invaded another world of heroes." She pauses and swallows dryly, "Father has asked you to lead an army after them."

Embla had shown no signs of ill intent since the war had ended. Their leader, Princess Veronica, stayed eerily quiet as she amassed an army large enough to begin her invasion. Although she possesses the power to control heroes against their will, the soldiers of Embla follow her orders by their own choosing. Embla, as a nation, thrives when they are at war. The citizens there praise Veronica for her ruthless conquest, only fueling her to further continue.

Not only was she a merciless leader, but a talented fighter as well. She possesses an innate skill for magic that's matched by none in the Emblian Kingdom. No one knows that better than Alfonse himself; often being the first target she seeks out on the battlefield.

Despite all the pain she's caused him, he still can't bring himself to hate the princess. When she speaks, her voice is quiet; barely audible over the sound of the battlefield. Her eyes, more often than not, rest vacantly on the floor. As he watches her, he can't help but wonder why a girl who has the love and adoration of an entire nation seems so… lonely.

Now the leader of an army allocated to confront Veronica and the Emblian forces, Alfonse sets out to gather what troops he can find on such short notice. His orders were to embark at sunrise the following morning, meaning he had but one day to assemble an army by his lonesome.

Reluctantly, he spends the afternoon going door to door; checking every room of the castle to gather willing heroes. And boy, were there a lot of rooms. While it sounded like a good idea at the time, he now cursed the fact that they had spent their hard earned orbs increasing the castle space.

After asking each hero in the living quarters, training grounds, and everywhere in between, he managed to round up 40 heroes. This new Askran 'army' would unfortunately be quite small, and likely vastly outnumbered by the Emblian forces. Alfonse took his chances that quality will beat quantity in the upcoming battle, not that he had much to say in the choice otherwise.

The army takes a group vote, and ultimately decide to stay at the Aether Resort the night before they embark. The older heroes visit the hot springs to get some last minute relaxation, while the younger heroes raid the accessory shop for funny hats to try on. Watching the legendary warriors goof off and enjoy themselves, even the stone faced Alfonse can't help but crack a smile.

Morning comes, and the sun rises above the courtyard of the Aether Resort. The heroes line up in rows as a last minute role call is taken before their departure. Alfonse, still half asleep, listens to them sound off under the shade of a nearby tree. A soft tug on his cape snaps him out of his daze, prompting him to look down.

Fae, the young Manakete girl, glares up at the prince with a pout on her face. "Do we _haaave_ to walk the entire way? It's gonna' take hours!" she whines. "Can't you open a gate that's a teensy bit closer to us?"

Her request gets a soft chuckle out of the prince. He kneels down next to her, meeting the girl eye to eye. "I may be able to open gates, but I lack the ability to close them," he explains. "The more unclosed gates, the easier it is for bad guys to invade other worlds."

Fae puffs out her cheeks, upset by the boys answer. Giving it a second thought, her face lights up once again. "So when you guys start getting along, we can travel to any world we want, whenever we want?!" She gleefully bounces up and down. "It's gonna' be so much fun!"

Alfonse is taken aback by the unexpected question. The idea of Veronica and him working together seemed rather unlikely, to say the least. He had grown accustomed to the fact that the two would be quarreling till the day they die; and, given the Emblian's personality, that would be sooner rather than later.

While he was never one to hand out false promises, to take away a child's heartfelt smile would be an even bigger disgrace in his eyes. "Er… yes. I suppose that _is_ something we could do," he hesitantly replies.

Satisfied with the answer, the dragon girl runs off. While she disappears into the crowd, Alfonse can hear her shouting the good news to a few of her friends.

Still unsure if he made the right choice; Alfonse, along with the rest of the heroes, depart for the gate between worlds. As they march, the previous conversation weighs heavily on his mind.

_A future where Askr and Embla work in harmony… it does sound nice,_ he thinks to himself.

His thoughts drift to the princess, and how they would soon meet again on the battlefield. He had spent the previous night brooding over what he would say to her, but came up dry. It seemed that, no matter what he said, the conversation would always end with Veronica firing shots at him...

Alfonse shakes his head, hoping to push the painful memories out of his mind.

Mentally defeated, he looks for a distraction among the heroes that march behind him. His eyes naturally fall on an individual dressed in white robes; Askr's trusty tactician Kiran, who's trudging along just a few meters behind the rest of the group. Their face lies pressed into a journal as they jot down a plan of attack for the upcoming battle. The familiar sight helps to put Alfonse's mind at ease, at least temporarily.

The Askran army soon reaches the gate between worlds. They set up camp and take a short break to eat before they cross over. After they finish, the heroes line up and make their way across one by one.

Not long after entering the foreign world, they are ambushed by a group of Emblian soldiers. Following Kiran's commands, the army makes quick work of the enemy, who proceed to scatter about and flee into a nearby forest.

Giving chase, the brigade soon finds themselves in sight of a small, worn down castle. Guarding its entrance are a couple hundred Emblian soldiers. Upon closer inspection, Alfonse notices that a few of them are dressed in clothing not typical of Emblian soldiers, and he suspects they are the ones Veronica had come to this world to capture.

The remainder of the Askran army slowly makes their way out of the forest. Noticing the band of Emblian soldiers ahead of them, they ready their weapons and prepare for combat. Alfonse turns to address the group. "It was as I suspected, her plan all along was to lead us to this location."

"You worry too much," a voice proclaims from within the masses. Kiran pushes their way through the crowd, a cheeky smile peeking under from the shadows of their hooded face. "Have I ever failed to lead us to victory?"

Alfonse takes a moment to think before placing both hands on his hips. Sensing the incoming lecture, Kiran's smile slowly dwindles from their face.

"Well... there was the legendary battle against Duma, multiple failed runs at the arena, that time you sent a team of archers to fight a full armored team..." Before Alfonse can finish his tirade, a hand lands on his shoulder, breaking his train of thought.

At his side he finds the noble swordsman Marth. "Fear not, I trust Kiran will develop a strategy that shall bring us all home safely," he reassures the young prince.

The legendary swordsman possessed countless years of experience on the battlefield, and Alfonse trusted his word more than anything, but he had a hard time believing what he just heard. For a war to be fought with no casualties was near impossible. He had seen what happened to Nifl; only by evading war altogether can a nation avoid such loss.

The Emblian soldiers eventually take notice of the approaching army and commence their attack. Kiran answers swiftly by sending in the first wave of heroes to combat the Emblian front line. The two sides converge in the heart of the battlefield and exchange blows.

Patiently waiting for his orders, Alfonse peers over to the enemy lines. To his surprise, he sees their leader nowhere amongst them.

"Alfonse, you're up!" Kiran shouts back to him. "Take that axe fighter over there," the tactician orders, pointing to the aforementioned soldier.

Alfonse gives a nod of his head. "As you will."

Unsheathing his sword, he rushes his way through the field. The soldier fails to notice the Askran approach till he is but a few meters away. Anticipating an attack, he takes a step back and braces himself. However, no attack comes.

"If you wish no harm upon yourself, lay down your weapon at once!" Alfonse orders, pointing his blade at the man.

The axe fighter glares back at him, giving no response to the prince's orders. He stands frozen in place as a bead of sweat trickles down his forehead.

"You give no answer, yet you refuse to attack me," Alfonse takes notice. He raises his shield and shifts into a fighting stance. "Nonetheless, my orders are to defeat you, and I will see them through!"

Mere seconds pass before Alfonse lands a direct hit on the soldier's thigh. Letting out an anguished howl, the man drops his axe and gracelessly stumbles to the ground.

Alfonse had defeated many axe fighters before, but this time felt… different. Embla was known for its strict training regiment; and its success at building model soldiers. Their expertise in battle was a huge reason as to why the war between Askr and Embla had gone on for so long. For this man to go down so easily was unnatural. Alfonse was skeptical, and held a suspicion that he had thrown the fight intentionally.

"Finish the job, prince," the soldier pleads. "To be taken pity by an Askran would be a disgrace worse than death."

Alfonse's eyebrows drop as he watches the man with doubtful eyes. "If you wish for a soldier's death, then you must first fight like one." He kneels down by the wounded soldiers side. "Tell me, for what reason did you hold back in our fight?"

"Ghk..." The soldier adverts his gaze, caught in his act. "Guess you're not... as dumb as ya look." He chuckles and shows a bloodied grin to the prince, of whom is thoroughly unamused by the charade.

"The Princess... made it very clear that she be the one to kill Prince Alfonse," he reveals. "I fear to think what she would do to me if I disobeyed her wishes."

Alfonse gawks at the man, wide eyed and mouth agape. "Is that true?!" he asks, unsure if he can trust the word of an enemy soldier.

"Ya didn't hear it from me," the soldier answers. His eyes wander to the axe resting a few feet at his side. "If it weren't for those orders, I woulda sliced ya up real good." A brief chuckle escaped his lips before a fit of coughing overtakes him.

Alfonse wipes a drop of the man's spit off his face and stands up. The longer he thinks about what he just heard, the more irritated it makes him. _Perhaps I'm not the strongest swordsman in the army… but does Veronica truly underestimate me so? To be so cocky that she places such stipulations upon her soldiers..._

"Nice work, Alfonse!" he hears the familiar voice of his tactician shout from behind him. "If you're done with that guy, there's a sword flier coming our way!"

Alfonse glances over his shoulder to see the tactician frantically waving in his direction. Noticing the troubled expression across the Askran's face, Kiran immediately can tell something had upset him.

"Alfonse, are you…" the summoner trails off, unsure of what to say to him.

The prince shifts his gaze from Kiran to the castle up ahead. Unexpectedly, he sprints off in its direction. The soldiers positioned throughout the warzone watch with a perplexed look as he runs past them.

_It's as I suspected, the soldiers are unwilling to attack me,_ he reaffirms. His eyes lay fixed on the old castle that stands at the opposite end of the battlefield. _Veronica must be waiting in that castle. If I can make it there... I have a chance at convincing her to call off this attack._

Before he can reach the castle, a horseback knight blocks his path. Alfonse recognizes their black armor almost immediately, as this was not the first time they had met on the battlefield. The knight was none other than Prince Xander of Nohr. Known for his strong loyalty, he opted to stay with Veronica upon being freed from his contract. He has since grown to be one of her strongest allies.

"Prince Alfonse! What is the meaning of this reckless charge on the castle!" he bellows from atop his mount.

"I wish nothing more than for an end to this needless bloodshed," Alfonse shouts back. In a display of his pure intentions, he returns his sword to the sheathe by his side. "Please, let me speak with the princess!"

Xander watches the prince intently. There's a moment of silence as his eyes narrow, looking for any signs of deceit in his character. "You do not strike me as the type of man to lie," he remarks of the boy. "While we may fight for opposite factions, we both wish for the same thing: peace."

Alfonse says nothing in return. He knows the strength Prince Xander possesses. Given the choice, he wouldn't risk incurring his wrath with a slip of the tongue.

Xander gives his horse a signal, and it begins trodding back towards the battlefield. "Very well, I shall allow you to pass," the knight concedes, prompting Alfonse to let out a sigh of relief. "Besides," he continues, "I do not sense you capable of harming the princess, even if you so wished to."

Alfonse watches the knight ride off before making his way to the castle's entrance. Two large wooden doors stand before him. Their faces are blemished with deep cuts, and the handles appear rusted. Surprisingly, he finds them quite easy to open. They let out a loud creak as the doors part ways for the prince to enter.

Cautiously, Alfonse takes a few steps into the castle's main entrance. With a heavy thud, the doors slam shut behind him. The room and its ominous atmosphere causes a sinking feeling to well up in the pit of his stomach.

Peering forward, he notices a solitary throne positioned at the end of the room. The unmistakable figure of the Emblian Princess lay sunken in it. Her legs, not quite long enough to reach the floor, rock back and forth while her chin rests gently in her palm. Blood red eyes light up as she notices who had just entered her domain.

"How peculiar." A sinister smile creeps across her face. "My favorite toy came to play with me by its own volition."

She rises from her throne and steps leisurely towards Alfonse. The click of her heels echoes off the castle walls as she walks. Like a predator hunting its prey, her eyes remain locked on him at all times.

Alfonse chooses to ignore her comment, shifting focus to the objective at hand. "I haven't come to fight, rather, to make peace," he insists.

"I see, how typical of you." She clicks her tongue in distaste. "You and your tiresome princely morals make me sick."

"Is it possible that we may agree to a temporary truce between our kingdoms?" he pleads. "As we speak, our soldiers risk their lives fighting a war over nothing. We are the only ones capable of putting an end to such needless bloodshed!"

Taking no time to consider the offer, Veronica answers with a swift "No." She stops a few feet away from Alfonse, her hands angrily balled into fists. "As long as Askr still stands, I will never know peace."

Alfonse lets out a pronounced sigh in response to the girls' hostile behavior. As per usual, she was making cooperation exceedingly difficult. However, after coming so far it would take more than a "No" to break his resolve.

"If our kingdom has wronged you in any way, then I apologize," the Askran exclaims. "I give you my word that I will make things right between our nations, just give me the chance," he clutches his chest and bellows forth, "Please!"

Alfonse's proclamation bounces off the castle walls before gradually fading out. The room momentarily falls silent, save for the crackling of the torches.

Veronica, who previously had her eyes cast on Alfonse, shifts her gaze down at the castle floor. Her brow furrows as she contemplates the princes offer. While she was typically not one to be swayed by his honeyed promises, today felt different. Perhaps its was due to him begging this time around that the Emblian felt a brief change in heart.

Coming to a conclusion, she brings her eyes up to meet his. Her lips part, ready to give an answer, only for a stinging pain to takes her attention away. She grabs at her throbbing head, fingers interwoven between locks of silver hair. A muffled cry escapes her lips as her knees begin to buckle, making the already short girl seem even smaller.

"Princess Veronica!" Alfonse calls out to her. Cautiously, he takes a few steps towards the girl. His hand instinctively reaches out to touch her, and is swiftly slapped away.

"Do not… touch me," she utters coldly.

Suddenly, Alfonse feels a burning pain in his abdomen. Looking down, he sees a dark sphere pushing against his stomach. The ball of energy dissipates into the surrounding air, and Alfonse crumbles to his knees.

A drip of saliva runs down his chin as he curls up on the floor, gasping for air. Gradually he regains control of his body, and is reminded of the dire situation he's in. He lifts his head to meet the piercing red eyes of his attacker.

Her vacant expression offers no signs of remorse for her actions. She whispers in a low, distant voice, "Kill… I will kill Askr," as if she was under a spell. Her arms raise up into the air, and another sphere of energy materializes above her head.

"Prince Alfonse!" the doors of the castle swing open, and two enter the room. The sudden disruption brings Veronica out of her maniacal daze. Her arms fall to her sides, causing the spell that loomed overhead to disappear.

Her eyes shift focus to the two intruders. "Prince Marth and… Princess Fjorm, was it?" she addresses them. "Have you come to ruin my play date?"

Fjorm pays no attention to the dark mage as she hurries to Alfonse's side. Her icy hand reaches out to him, of which he briskly accepts. Lifting the prince up, she asks him, "Are you injured?"

Alfonse places a hand on his abdomen. "Nothing too concerning, I can still fight," he answers. "But I must ask, how did the two of you know I was here?"

"Kiran informed us that you had ran ahead," Prince Marth chimes in from beside them. He surveys the young man with a quizzical look. "It is quite unusual for you to make such a daring move."

Alfonse adverts his gaze, feeling a bit embarrassed over his actions. "I apologize for my recklessness; my intentions were to-"

"How long do you three intend to babble on for?" Veronica interrupts. She folds her arms across her chest, clearly upset over being ignored. "In case you've forgotten, we were in the middle of something."

Recognizing the situation they got themselves into, Fjorm and Marth take a step back and ready their weapons. Veronica, in turn, raises her arms to conjure up another spell.

"We must end this, Princess Veronica," Alfonse calls out to her from across the room, "Nothing can come from fanning the fires of war any further."

There's no emotion on her face as she dismisses the Askran's plea. "Whatever," she mutters. "If you won't play with me, I'll go ahead and put you out of your misery."

And so, the battle between the four waged on. An awesome dance of magic and blades that will be told for centuries to come; or so it would have, had a tear in space not appeared at random, sucking the four into itself. Their destination, as they would soon find out, is the far off land of Alberia.

End Notes:

After playing the DLxFEH crossover I was saddened to find there exists little to none fanfic/fanart of these two. So I thought hey, why not make my own.

It's my first time with creative writing, so it's probably a little sloppy, but it's been a fun experience nonetheless!

I'll be glossing over the majority of the plot covered in that story and focusing on stuff inbetween as to not bore anyone, so if you haven't read it and would like to you can at: ( /watch?v=oRbfw6PfTrE)


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